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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247958">The Tale of the Risky Venture Launch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichellesPenScratchz/pseuds/MichellesPenScratchz'>MichellesPenScratchz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Preposterous Borderlands Extended Universe [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Borderlands (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Humor, Light-Hearted, Post-Tales from the Borderlands, Pre-Borderlands 3, Slow Build</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:47:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247958</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichellesPenScratchz/pseuds/MichellesPenScratchz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(Formerly titled "Fiends to Fire.")<br/>"So you thought all it took was a piece of paper pilfered from the ruins of Helios to make Mr. Rhys Strongfork into the re-founder of Atlas, eh? Ha! No, my optimistic friends, the business world doesn't work that way, not even close. Take it from old Marcus--there is always, eh, the fine print to consider, yes?<br/>"You may recall when last we saw the Company Man, he had just set foot into the famed Vault of the Traveler. The Vault, it seems, lives up to its name, for it whisked him away from Pandora and set him on a new course altogether. Meanwhile, the Pandoran Hustler's young sister finds herself left behind in the wastes, and forced to find her own way.<br/>"It won't be easy for them, of course. This risky venture will be fraught with new foes, uncertain allies, and a sizable helping of inner demons, just for good measure.<br/>"But I ask you this--would my dear listener have it any other way?"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rhys/Sasha (Borderlands)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Preposterous Borderlands Extended Universe [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873684</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. What Keeps Us Wanting More</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The immediate aftermath of the Vault of the Traveler.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you've been following this story for awhile, two major rewrites are on the way.<br/>1) More references to unique choices made in my specific playthrough of TFTBL, including who was recruited to fight The Traveler.<br/>2) A bigger role for Fiona. :)<br/>Stay tuned, and you won't be disappointed!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>I just want to say, thanks for bringing me back, and killing that scary thing, and taking me on the adventure we went on a while ago, and thanks for being cool about stuff, like letting me drive the caravan that one time when you weren’t looking, and thanks for bringing everyone together, and thanks for being my friends. You’re the only ones I have. And I appreciate you. And I hope we’re friends for a really long time.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“That’s what friends do. They help each other. It’s all part of the deal.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, then that’s a pretty good deal.”</em>
</p><p>[Except from Loader Bot’s memory banks, Day 517 since last wipe]</p><p>—</p><p>Two pairs of footsteps resonated into the bottomless chasm that was the Vault of the Traveler. Rhys crossed the gap between the last step and the top platform. He turned back to Fiona.</p><p>Funny. A few days ago, he’d still believed she and Sasha had already pilfered the very chamber where they now stood--that they had abandoned him on Helios, seized the Vault’s riches for themselves, and had all but forgotten his name by now.</p><p>He had woken up that lonely morning in the Biodome as he had countless mornings before: from a dreamscape of ghosts and guilt. Until he’d been summoned by a cryptic message to Prosperity Junction, he’d had no clue where to go next.</p><p>At least now, with the untold treasure that had originally brought them together in reach again, it looked less like nowhere.</p><p>Not that he’d readily spill that sentiment to Fiona. No, the two of them had reached their humiliation quota just moments ago outside this Vault, when she’d stared daggers at him and demanded he answer for a certain incident involving Sasha and a blue flower.</p><p>"I just want you to know, I totally forgive you for ripping me off," he offered instead, and in a show of graciousness extended his hand across the gap.</p><p>"I know, I know, it's really big of me,” he added with a smirk. He wasn’t even offended when she stuck out her tongue as she accepted his hand and stepped across. “But I figure we're on our way to bigger and better things, so water under the bridge. If a giant exploding Vault Monster doesn't settle the score, frankly, I don't know what does."</p><p>"I gotta say." Her gaze drifted up wistfully. "I'm a little sad it's over."</p><p>"Well, who knows? Maybe this is just the beginning," he said.</p><p>They both stood inches before the chest. The moment was silent, full of fear and suspense. There was no turning back.</p><p>"Would you like to do the honors?" Rhys asked.</p><p>"It's the last one," Fiona said, echoing the words that started it all when they’d found Gortys' disjointed core. "It's only right we both open it. It's the best part.”</p><p>"Was kinda hoping you'd say that."</p><p>He laid a hand on the stone chest, followed by her. The lid creaked open to reveal its bounty.</p><p>—</p><p>"Here, Sash. I know I just called dibs on shields, but on behalf of the Children of Helios, I would like you to have this."</p><p>Sasha crouched in The Traveler’s shimmering spoils, next to Pandora’s unlikeliest bandit leader. She looked up from a sleek double-drum magazine to see him offering her a shield.</p><p>"It’s okay, Vaughn, you keep it," she said. "Your men need all the help they can get in these wastes. No offense, but those laser pointers won't fool the other bandits out here forever."</p><p>"And no offense to you, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Especially where near-death experiences are concerned." Vaughn paused and considered his words. "Not that we aren't all super grateful for what you did, obviously. But let's just say, watching a friend teeter on the brink of…<em>the brink</em> is one of those acts where no one wants an encore."</p><p>Sasha adjusted her arm sling, fashioned from the red scarf around her waist. She herself still scarcely believed what had just happened. First, everything was fading away. Fiona and Rhys' desperate clutch on her, the throbbing in her abdomen—all she sensed was receding like a dream.</p><p>Then it was all rewinding. The ravages of the last few painful moments all absorbed into Felix's watch. She’d live another day. <em>Of course it wouldn't be a gift from Felix if it didn't have strings attached,</em> she thought sourly, rubbing her fractured arm.</p><p>"Yeah, trust me, I’m not about to make a habit of it," she mumbled, her hand drifting down to massage her abdomen, at the spot where the pocketwatch had worked its miracle.</p><p>"You might’ve not had to do it even once, if I hadn't jumped the gun with the Moonshot cannon," Vaughn countered. "Call this amends."</p><p>"Oh, so it’s <em>your </em>fault those detonation charges had a shorter range than I could spit?” She raised her eyebrow and cocked her head at him. “I doubt it.”</p><p>“That, uh, certainly didn’t help either,” he conceded.</p><p>"But seriously, just give the shield to one of them.” She jerked her head towards the rest of their companions. Athena and Cassius had both inadvertently reached for the same prize, and glanced at each other hesitantly. Zer0 appraised a sniper rifle in his hands with the scrutiny of Marcus Kincaid himself.</p><p>Unswayed Vaughn waved the shield before Sasha with a sly grin. “Did I mention it's a Pangolin exclusive, and when it runs out, it causes the attacker’s shield to break, too?"</p><p>"Really?” Sasha’s eyes glimmered, and her tongue darted, tantalized, over her lip. “Now you tell me!"</p><p>With a delighted laugh she plucked the shield from his hand and fixed it to her belt. Until her arm healed, she had an inkling her trusty Atlas Silver SMG would take a backseat to her Desolator pistol. At least with her new drum mag, reloading would be ancient history. Fumbling with her hand in the sling, she attached the mag to the pistol. There was that satisfying click of two already-awesome pieces of weaponry joining to become near-unstoppable.</p><p>Grinning, she aimed the pistol at a Children of Helios symbol painted into a nearby post. "Nothing personal, Vaughn," she quipped, and fired. She basked in the force of the gun jolting in her hand, the burning scent, the resonating sound as the slug struck the wood. She was ready to seek out the nearest Badass and dare him to waste his ammo on her.</p><p>"No worries. We're still undecided on the penalty for desecrating our graven image," Vaughn joked. "Besides, you missed."</p><p>"No, I--" She squinted at her target. So, she hadn't actually hit the sunny icon. The bullet had just barely struck the edge of the wood. "--Look, it's a new gun, okay?" Her nose wrinkled and she gave a huff, glancing down at the Desolator. It would take some getting used to, aiming with a pistol. She'd be sure to get in more practice before…before…</p><p>Just what <em>was</em> next, anyway?</p><p>That question always included Fiona. But for the first time, Sasha turned and noticed Fiona was gone, and Rhys with her.</p><p>"Hey. Did they already go in the—?" Her eyes followed the last spot her sister and newly returned…friend? …had stood, over to the pulsating gate where The Traveler had first emerged.</p><p>Vaughn's gaze followed hers. "I guess they couldn't wait to get their hands on the bigger prize."</p><p>"Well, c'mon, let's go after them!" She nudged Vaughn's shoulder as she took off towards the Vault. "I've been getting stuck with Fiona's hand-me-downs since we were kids; I'm not about to let her--" When she realized he wasn't following, she stopped to look back and raise a quizzical eyebrow.</p><p>"Yeah.” Vaughn looked down at the valuables he'd collected from The Traveler. “I'm not so sure I want to, Sasha. There's enough here to sell and fill the Children of Helios' stores for months."</p><p>“Seriously? After all we went through to get here?" She gaped at him and flung her good hand back towards the beckoning Vault. "You're saying you're not even a <em>little</em> curious what's in there?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm a <em>lot</em> curious, don't get me wrong," he said, walking towards her. "But what if whatever's inside…just isn't enough?” He cast an apprehensive glance to Athena and Zer0, then lowered his voice. “That's what keeps those Vault Hunter types always wanting more, isn't it? That ongoing pursuit of the next score.” He looked back to the Children of Helios compound. "It's like an addiction. I can't risk what I've built here to get mixed up in that."</p><p>She frowned, but thought she understood. Minutes ago, she had been willing to give up her chance at the Vault for the ones she cared about, too. "Your followers really are lucky to have you, Vaughn," she said.</p><p>He shrugged. "Well. Technically they're Rhys' followers."</p><p>"Um, who made them a home out of nothing, and got them this far?” she posited. “You, or that creepy headless statue?"</p><p>Vaughn laughed. "I'd call that a textbook 'Column A, Column B,'” he said. "But thanks. And look, even if you, Fiona and Rhys go galavanting off on another epic quest, remember you're always welcome here."</p><p>"Hey, that's not happening, alright? Whatever we do next, we’re all in it together," she said. "We didn't find each other again just to—"</p><p>A flash like lightning filled her vision. A seismic <em>whoosh</em> rolled past her. She whirled around, and her jaw dropped.</p><p>Where the Vault had been, now there was nothing but an empty stone archway.</p><p>—</p><p>"Fiona?"</p><p>Rhys looked around after the shockwave. Everything looked the same. He was still standing inside the otherworldly chamber crafted eons ago by a long-dead alien race. The huge stone chest still lay open before him. Only, the hat-favoring companion he had opened it with was nowhere in sight.</p><p>There was something in the chest: a small mechanism, no bigger than his fist. He picked it up and looked it over. A blue pillar of light emerged and took the shape of a schematic. He squinted. It looked like a weapon plan of some kind, but the writing was in some language for which the word "arcane" came to mind. Eridian, if he was more the gambling type.</p><p>He tucked it away. Maybe there was enough power in the Helios computer at Vaughn's compound to translate it. And maybe Fiona already headed back that way. Yeah, that must be it. That blast probably just shorted out his budget cybernetics, and he didn't see her leave.</p><p>Why didn't she take the schematic, though?</p><p>Confused, he turned back to the monolithic archway. The view of the other side was distorted, as though underwater. Yet, he could make out tall shapes that weren't Pandoran mesas—bright colors that didn't belong to rock and sand.</p><p>"What the…?" As he stepped through, he felt a sensation like falling forward.</p><p>The world he stumbled out into was definitely not Pandora. The ethereal gateway faded behind him, leaving him stranded in this foreign world.</p><p>In the distance he discerned the tops of skyscrapers. Hovercrafts darted between them like ants. Bright neon signs crowned each tower. His immediate surroundings were less grandiose. Graffiti plastered the derelict one- and two-story buildings. There were cranes for a shipyard visible over the flimsy rooftops. The crumbling street was home to a string of gutted out vehicles. He heard gunfire close by.</p><p>He turned back to where the Vault had been, and saw he was in front of a power plant. Above its entrance was a big red neon sign: HAPPY HUNTING THIS EXTERMINATION DAY! BROUGHT TO YOU BY DIRECTOR ALEXANDER WORMWORTH AND HIS ESTEEMED ASSOCIATES OF THE ATLAS BOARD.</p><p>The name "Director Alexander Wormworth" was in larger letters, while "Esteemed Associates of the Atlas Board" shrank in comparison. Below the lettering were four holographic blue-tinted heads. The largest must have belonged to Alexander Wormworth, a pasty and portly man of about fifty. His three "esteemed" associates were too scaled down beside him to perceive much about their facial features.</p><p>Rhys was less interested in their faces than he was in their company. Atlas still had a board of directors here? So, where was "here"?</p><p>To answer his unspoken question, a tone rang out over a loudspeaker, followed by a chipper female voice. "Attention, Lectra City! Shanneth Kyrie reporting. Please disregard the alleged disturbance at the power plant. We’ve been assured that it was only the result of some faulty wiring, and the situation will soon be under control. You're all doing a great job of cleanup this Extermination Day. If Promethea could smile, the rest of the universe could see itself in her dazzling teeth, all thanks to you!"</p><p><em>Promethea? </em>Rhys blinked. The guns ceased when Shanneth spoke. His gut twisted in a knot as he began to guess what kind of "cleanup" she was talking about.</p><p>"If you'll all kindly make your way to the Ceasefire Zone in the harbor, our friends at Atlas have arranged a treat: a ton of fresh, shiny ammunition for your efforts. That's an actual two-thousand pound ton, by the way; not a 'ton' in the figurative sense, like the ton of pride Director Wormworth has in all of you," Shanneth went on. "Oh, and if you're super lucky, he might even show up via holo-broadcast to have a meet-and-greet with some of our participants. But not if you're too sloooow!" The last word came out in a flippant singsong. "So, get the lead out, exterminators! All aboard at the harbor!"</p><p>There were whoops and hollers. The gunfire resumed but slowly retreated.</p><p>Rhys looked up again at the blue holographic visage of Director Wormworth. He felt for the Atlas stock certificate folded in his pocket. It looked like he inherited some employees from the former Atlas. And apparently, they liked to conduct blood sports in their spare time.</p><p>Still, it seemed his best shot was to make his way across Lectra City to the harbor, and try to have a word with this Wormworth.</p><p>Cautiously, unarmed save for his arm, he stepped into the war zone standing between him and the harbor.</p><p>He didn't get far before a van-sized hovercraft swooped across the sun and landed behind him. The rear doors burst open, and several men in red armored suits filed out. "Readings are negative. There's nothing here, Sir," one of them said into an ECHO-Comm after a cursory look around. "Area's clear, moving on to check inside the power plant."</p><p>"What about that guy over there?" said another, pointing at Rhys.</p><p>"Him? Probably just one of Wormworth's exterminators getting too nosy," said the first. "Set to stun! Hey you! Freeze!" he barked. A collage of weapons suddenly pointed at Rhys, who did indeed freeze.</p><p>"Director Colton won't be happy if Wormworth gets a man here first," said one of the red suits.</p><p>At the back of the cluster, one of them slowly shifted his weapon away from Rhys and towards the backs of his companions. "He already did," he announced, and unleashed his stun shots on the others, who fell to the ground convulsing and gasping in surprise.</p><p>Rhys eeped and shirked away, keeping his hands firmly above his head.</p><p>The traitor among the group looked back up to him. "Faulty wiring, nothing," he said. "There was a Vault here, and you were in it. So start talking."</p><p>"Waitwaitwait, I can explain!" Rhys babbled, giving his raised hands a little desperate wave. "You're Atlas, right? Great! I'm your new—"</p><p>He flinched as a bullet just barely ricocheted past his nose. But it hadn't come from the red-clad man. He glanced sideways and saw a group—most likely Wormworth's Exterminators—coming around a corner. With ample mohawks, tattoos and piercings, they didn't look much a stretch from Pandora's finest.</p><p>"I told you they was hiding something at the power plant!" one growled.</p><p>"Yeah! Whatever you Atlas bastards is keeping from us, we want our share!" called another.</p><p>"Oh, sh-" began the rogue Atlas soldier. A hail of gunfire burst forth. He dove for cover behind the hovercraft. Some of the other soldiers slowly began to regain their senses and shoot from their positions on the ground.</p><p>Trouble was, they hadn't uniformly decided where to direct their fire. Some shots found the exterminators of dubious alignment. One or two shots were made instead at the traitor in the soldiers’ midst.</p><p>Rhys ducked as one shot sought him out. In the confusion, he wasn't sure if it was an Atlas soldier's stun shot or an exterminator's not-stun shot. Either way, he didn’t intend to stick around and see if the next one had better aim.</p><p>He took off into Lectra City, the harbor’s cranes his only clue of which way to go. The sound of one pandemonious tussle faded behind, while another loomed ahead. This one was bound for the harbor, for that ton of free ammunition and an audience with Director Alexander Wormworth.</p><p>He remembered suddenly that Wormworth might not be his only hope here.</p><p>"Fiiiiiooooonaaaaa!" he called out mid-sprint.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not a lot changed in this chapter, except I did try to tweak Sasha's voice a bit. Thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monday_Headache">Monday Headache</a> for the valuable insights there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Where To Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Plans are made, opportunities are seized.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “I thought a city like Promethea would be crammed full of opportunity, but actually it was a tinderbox of violence and greed. Corporations were pulling out, calling the joint dead-end. People were starving, eating stone soup and boiled ratch to get by. But somehow, I survived. It was a real ‘wrong-place-at-the-right-time’ type of situation. You know, sometimes the trick to being successful is just staying in the game longer than the other guy.” </em>
</p><p>-Typhon DeLeon, ECHO-Log Series Commissioned By Some History Dweeb</p><p>———————————</p><p>“Just try again, Gortys,” Vaughn urged. “You can do it. You have to.”</p><p>“This is a lot of pressure, you guys,” the robot whined. Her digital face lowered in anxiety and frustration. “Could I… have a little space, please?”</p><p>The motley crew backed away from Gortys, beneath the petrified husk of the form she’d assumed while fighting The Traveler. Free to move, she rolled back and charged headlong at her giant doppelganger. Her head bonked and bonked against it, each time recoiling with a little “Umph!” Her digital eyes flickered, and she held her head as though seeing stars.</p><p>“I can’t do it,” she conceded, shaking her spherical body to regain her senses. “I’m so sorry, Vaughn. Sasha. I think my beacon died when the Traveler died. I’m really, really sorry—I can’t summon the Vault again.”</p><p>Shakily, Sasha released a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “Alright, so, any idea where it went?” She felt cold, nauseous, and lightheaded all at once.</p><p>
  <em> They can’t be gone. They can’t be gone.  </em>
</p><p>She hated being a victim to those feelings, so she filled her head with anger instead. At least anger was hot. Anger wasn’t helpless. “There has to be something you can give us, Gortys! Isn’t that Vault—oh I dunno—what you were <em> built </em> for?!”</p><p>“That’s true, but it could literally be anywhere in the universe,” Gortys lamented. “On a planet, on an asteroid—”</p><p>“Perhaps even in a black hole,” Cassius offered dottily. “Though I would, of course, prefer that weren’t the case.”</p><p>“Thanks for that insight, Doc,” Vaughn grumbled. “I almost forgot to add ‘Rhys and Fiona crushed to an atom in the center of a collapsed star’ to my list of worries.”</p><p>“Don’t mention it,” Cassius said. “If you like, I could speculate on likelier, but no less gruesome hypotheses.”</p><p>“Uh, hard pass.”</p><p>“Guys! Just stop!” Sasha spat. “This isn’t helping! They’re not in a black hole, okay?!” At her feet glinted a crystalline shard that had been part of the Traveler’s insides. Even dead, the behemoth mocked her. She swore through clenched teeth and kicked the shard, sending it sailing.</p><p>“Sasha.” She sensed Athena moving to her side.</p><p>“Don’t.” She dug her heel in the dirt, hugged herself and fixed her stare where the shard landed. “I don’t want to hear that you ‘know how I feel,’ alright?” </p><p>Fiona couldn’t be gone forever. Not like Athena’s sister.</p><p>“Good. Because, frankly, I don’t,” Athena responded flatly. “I don’t see any circumstance where I would waste my anger on a beaten opponent. In your place, I would target the source of my problem. And then, as you once said yourself: burn it all to the ground.”</p><p>Sasha’s nostrils flared. “So how are we supposed to do that, exactly?”</p><p>Athena’s expression showed a flicker of softness. “By keeping our heads and coming up with a plan. Think you can manage that? For your sister?” Her gaze darted to Vaughn. “For your friend?”</p><p>Sasha turned abruptly and strode to the side of the Gortys colossus to rest her forehead against it. This was the story of her life—everyone came and went. Felix, the lifetime of marks that were almost friends or more. But not Fiona. Her sister had always been there. Fiona, for whom lies came as easy as smiles, yet to Sasha her word was always her bond. With that foundation crumbled away beneath Sasha’s feet, where else could she fall?</p><p>Then there was Rhys.</p><p>“Why don’t we just start with the obvious,” Vaughn said. “Has anything like this ever happened before?” He cast a glance between Zer0 and Athena. “I mean, you two are the experts here on all things Vault-related, right?”</p><p>“There’s still a lot about Vaults no one understands,” Athena replied. “For a while, some of us thought Typhon de Leon may turn up with insights from his later career.”</p><p>“Who?” Vaughn cocked his head.</p><p>“Typhon de Leon / A trailblazer among us / The first Vault Hunter,” Zer0 intoned.</p><p>“Right,” Athena nodded, “but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.”</p><p>“Why shouldn’t I hold my breath?” Gortys asked. “Other than not having any, I mean.”</p><p>“De Leon’s MIA. Has been for years,” Athena answered.</p><p>Gortys lowered her eyes. “Oh.”</p><p>“Press F to pay respects,” Loader Bot said.</p><p>Sasha blocked their chatter out. Rhys. She’d woken up this morning thinking he was a charred skeleton in a bad red tie somewhere under the twisted rubble of Helios. Nothing could have prepared her for the walking, breathing ghost that had greeted her in the Helios control room. She hadn’t even tapped into the well of words she’d wanted to say to him. All they’d managed then was a joyous hug, and a hesitant “I missed you.”</p><p>And now he’d vanished all over again, leaving everything else still unsaid.</p><p>“Gortys, not to be a ‘Shot In The Dark’ kinda guy here,” Vaughn ventured, resting his hands on his knees to reach face-level with the robot. “But I don’t suppose the Atlas scientists who built you happened to include, you know, a Beacon Recharger Upgrade or something?”</p><p>“Doubt it,” Gortys said. She seemed to shrink before Vaughn. “I can check, but please try to manage your expectations. I don’t want to disappoint you too much.”</p><p>“All our friends ask is that you try,” Loader Bot assured Gortys, kneeling beside her and placing a skeletal hand on her domed head. “That’s what friends do. They help each other. Right?”</p><p>“You—you’re right, Loader Bot.” Gortys lifted her hand to latch onto his. “It’s all part of the deal, just like Fiona said.” Her digital face brightened in its teal hue. “I’ll give it my best—just hang tight!”</p><p>Her holographic compass emerged from her head and pulsed faintly. She bobbled around the area, as though chasing a firefly visible only to her. Reluctantly, Sasha lifted herself from Mecha Gortys’ husk and rejoined the others.</p><p>“About your arm.” Athena glanced at Sasha. “I wouldn’t go to that snake oil peddler Zed if I were you. Nurse Nina mostly sells family planning these days, but her Insta-Health packs are far better quality if you can get them.”</p><p>Sasha fumbled with her arm sling. “You realize Felix is dead, right?” she uttered without looking at Athena. “You don’t have a protection contract to uphold anymore.”</p><p>“You really think that’s why I’m still here?” Athena retorted. “After today, I can be assured the ‘untapped potential’ Felix saw in you two has grown like he never imagined.”</p><p>Sasha felt that detestable sting in her eyes and shut them tight. “Then why <em> are </em>you still here?” she asked.</p><p>“Because Fiona is a Vault Hunter,” Athena said. “Something big is on the horizon. I don’t know what yet, but now is the time for Vault Hunters to band together.”</p><p>A huff. “Oh, so you just needed my sister for some greater purpose all along. Thanks for telling me.”</p><p>“Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me, Sasha? ...After Hollow Point, I mean?”</p><p>Sasha turned her head away. “The last words Felix ever said to me were ‘trust no one.’”</p><p>“I might have agreed with him once,” Athena admitted. “But do you envy the man, going out on a note like that? I doubt it.”</p><p>Before Sasha could form a reply, Gortys made an excited noise. “I think I found something!” she chirped, pointing over the ravine. “It’s over yonder!”</p><p>“Fascinating!” Cassius remarked. “Could this mean there was another Gortys upgrade to survive—” he stopped mid-sentence and averted his eyes from Athena, “—the, ah, inhospitable ravages of Pandora?”</p><p>“Is it another upgrade, Gortys?” Vaughn asked.</p><p>The robot made an “I dunno” sound. “Could be,” she added. “The reading I’m picking up is like one of my upgrades, but different. Older. And partly...in some other language?” She glanced around. “Does anyone know what—” a garbled, incoherent string of otherworldly syllables emitted from Gortys’ so-called mouth, “—means?”</p><p>“In my experience, that means ‘I’m a Guardian from a bygone era and your journey ends here,’” Athena said.</p><p>Sasha recognized the sound as well. The strange aliens inside the Traveler had made a similar cacophony.</p><p>“The Guardians call' / One quest’s end sparks another / A Vault Hunter’s lot,” Zer0 mused.</p><p>“How do we know this signal—whatever it is—will lead us to Fiona and Rhys?” Sasha asked.</p><p>“Guess we don’t, but it beats wandering the desert aimlessly,” Vaughn said. "Believe me, I've tried it before. Would not recommend."</p><p>Sasha surveyed her companions, from Vaughn to Athena, to Loader Bot and Gortys, and she supposed even Cassius. If her life's foundation <em> had </em> crumbled, there were worse places to fall than here with them. “Thought you didn't want to get addicted to epic quests like some Vault Hunter,” she told Vaughn.</p><p>“Well, wouldn't be the first destructive behavior Rhys has put me up to,” he chortled. “Remind me to tell you about rush week sometime.”</p><p>To her own surprise, she actually smiled. “Then I guess let’s get going.” She looked around. “So, where did Fiona park the caravan?”</p><p>Vaughn cringed, as though remembering a crucial detail. “Uh. Well, ‘park’ isn’t exactly the word I’d use.” He gazed off towards the Moonshot control center. The rear end of the caravan poked from its roof.</p><p>———————————</p><p>Rhys made an even poorer Exterminator than he’s made a Vault Hunter. He flitted from cover to cover across Lectra City—a hollowed out car here, a concrete rampart there. Whenever a shot rang out, he covered his head and crouched.</p><p>He turned a corner. There, down the street, was a skeletal car rusting away near an awning. The jump from the vehicle to the awning looked doable. Checking again for Exterminators or dubiously aligned Atlas soldiers, he dashed for the car. The trunk gaped open, empty. The doors had long since been stripped, possibly for makeshift shields. He stepped onto the faux leather upholstery of the backseat and reached for the roof.</p><p>A chitter sounded from under the front seat. He shrank back just as an arachnid creature crawled out. It didn't seem to appreciate the intrusion, if its gaping mandibles were any hint. Rhys staggered back, but the arachnid scuttled doggedly after him.</p><p>His eyes fell on the open trunk, and he recalled an incident involving an outhouse and a bandit in Prosperity Junction. He crossed his arms in front of him, the cyber one outermost. The creature lunged and bit into his forearm.</p><p>“I! Don't! Think so!” He shoved the pest into the trunk and wrenched the lid down. It was just ajar enough to twist his arm free of the bite, though his sleeve was shredded in the process. He slammed the lid shut and held it against the sporadic <em> thud </em> within.</p><p>He didn't rely on the trunk to stay closed, so he scrambled onto the car’s roof. Then, after a few preparatory arm swings, he lept flailing onto the awning. A boarded-up window served as his ladder to the building’s roof. There, he saw the harbor two blocks away.</p><p>He skimmed the rooftops for Fiona, turned up nothing, and sighed his disappointment. Even <em> she’d </em> have to admit the trunk stunt was testament to his cunning.</p><p>A crowd had gathered at the harbor. Most exterminators apparently hadn't been suspicious that Shanneth's announcement was meant to draw them away from the power plant. Rhys plotted a quick course to the ground and easily walked the remaining distance.</p><p>The nearest barge’s deck was lined with blinking green chests, most of them opened and pilfered. The <em> clacks </em> of reloading guns rippled through the crowd. Some exterminators waited with bated breath for this hinted appearance of Director Alexander Wormworth.</p><p>With several dozen backs to him, Rhys took a moment to compose himself. He rolled up his torn right sleeve to the elbow, smoothed his hair, and dusted off his jacket and slacks. An old pre-interview habit made him exhale into his hand to check his breath. He scowled. It was pretty rancid, considering the shortage of breath mints back at the Biodome. But it wasn't like Holo-Wormworth would be in a position to notice.</p><p>A terminal on the barge sprang to life, revealing the same pasty, portly man Rhys had seen at the power plant. This hologram showed Director Wormworth from the waist up. He looked distracted, even worried as he surveyed the Lectra City exterminators.</p><p>“What a delightful turnout we've had today!” he greeted them with visible haste. "The rest of the universe may say Atlas is finished, but I have only to look around at the weaponry you all hold to see that our second wind is coming!"</p><p>There was a sparse applause, promptly drowned out by the procession of shouted questions.</p><p>“When are the new guns coming?!”</p><p>Director Wormworth sucked on his lips. “Yes, new guns, we're aware of that complaint and continue to appreciate your feedback. You can be sure what you currently have is the finest in the industry, despite its age. Because Atlas was always ahead of the curve! Of course, Directors Colton, Sampson and Hazeltooth—and I—can't wait to give you something newer and even better, just as soon as the means become available.”</p><p>“Why aren't you taking Pandora back from Hyperion?!”</p><p>The bluish hologram froze, save for a line of static running down. “We're working on that highly delicate, but important issue. Just because Hyperion suffered dismal blows with the death of Handsome Jack and the destruction of Helios, that doesn't mean we can afford to be hasty. We're looking into what caused our competitors such immense trouble. When the time comes, we will be ready to face the same. Anyone else with another question? Perhaps a little more relevant to why we're gathered here today?”</p><p>“We're running out of ratches to shoot in Lectra City! When are you going to move Extermination Day to Meridian?!”</p><p>“Unfortunately, Director Sampson has safety concerns about Meridian’s citizens. Which I share. Yes, wholeheartedly.” Wormworth scratched his nose. “But you are correct; there are plenty of ratches here in Meridian, too. If possible, I’ll have a word with my colleague about getting a team together to relocate some ratch nests to Lectra. We'll just have to see. In the meantime, a quick reminder. Extermination Day is a privilege, and everyone must register at least 24 hours in advance. We have reason to believe an… unauthorized person may be participating.”</p><p>Rhys knew at once the “unauthorized person” was him. To his relief, Wormworth was nothing like he expected. The visage at the power plant commanded respect—presented himself to be on a tier with even Handsome Jack. This was no Jack swaying like a weed before the crowd.</p><p>Wormworth reminded Rhys of Henderson. A smile crept onto his lips. This was someone he knew exactly how to work.</p><p>“If that person is here, I ask them now to report to one of our designated personnel in the red armor,” Wormworth went on. “The mixup should be resolved quickly, and we'll go from there.”</p><p>Rhys stretched his arms over his head in a yawn. The glare from his exposed metallic forearm caught Holo-Wormworth's attention. “Hoo-okay, you got me, Alex,” he announced for the congregation to hear. “I was saving it for a surprise, but I guess the cat's out of the bag.” He presented his wrists, awaiting handcuffs. “Have our good friends in red take me away. I deserve it.”</p><p>The exterminators shuffled to either side, creating a path between Rhys and Holo-Wormworth. The Atlas Director raised an eyebrow. “I'm sorry, you have me at a disadvantage, Mister…?”</p><p>“Pish! ‘Mister.’” Rhys stepped through the crowd and ribbed a bystander with his elbow, winking. “Will you listen to this guy, pretending he doesn't know me?” he chortled to the random exterminator, jabbing his thumb at Wormworth. He faced the hologram again. “It's only Mister Rhys Strongfork on my letterhead. You've seen it, or at least your secretary has.”</p><p>He unsheathed the Atlas stock certificate from his pocket and flashed it like a badge, just long enough for Wormworth to register what he was holding. The almost ephemeral widening of the Director's eyes confirmed that.</p><p>“But please, call me Rhys,” he went on, returning the paper to his pocket. “And I'm here to turn Atlas around, and finally give these good people—” he flung a hand out to the exterminators, “—nothing less than what they've been asking for!”</p><p>As he had hoped, there were intrigued murmurs. Eyes turned towards him, away from Wormworth.</p><p>The hologram lowered his gaze, considering the game he'd just been invited to. “Oh, of course. Rhys.” He feigned recognition. “I must have missed the memo you were in town already. We're… understaffed, as you can well imagine.”</p><p>“Oof. You know how I feel about the ‘U’ word, Alex. I prefer to think of us as a ‘lean, mean, fighting machine,’” Rhys countered. Holo-Wormworth’s smile was strained. Rhys was in now. “It looks like I crashed your party, but once you’re available, I can’t wait to talk shop in person,” he continued.</p><p>“By all means, no time like the present,” Wormworth said. “I'll arrange a hovercraft to bring you to Atlas HQ right away.”</p><p>Rhys pinched his lapel and flashed a smile. “Al, you and me, we're going places. I can feel it.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Muchas gracias to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monday_Headache">Monday-Headache</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankenjoly">Frankenjoly</a> for their brainstorming and editing assistance.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Destiny Machine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rhys meets up with some remnants of the past, both figuratively and literally.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em> Look, you wanna know the reason why I’m in that chair and you’re not? For the exact same reason why north is north, why the handsome guy always gets the girl, and why every spaceship in the universe is shaped like a cock. It’s destiny, Rhys. And men, real men, men like me, make their own.” </em></p><p>[Excerpt from Loader Bot’s memory banks, Day 515 since last wipe]</p><p>———————————</p><p>There wasn’t much to look at in the windowless hovercraft, so Rhys faced one of his Atlas soldier escorts. He couldn’t tell if they were the same ones from the power plant. If so, they didn’t let on that anything awry had just happened in their ranks.</p><p>“When we get to the HQ, I’m assuming there will be a long-range comms tower I can use to send a message off-world?” he asked.</p><p>“Director Wormworth keeps a waiting list of requests to use it,” the soldier said. “When I tried to RSVP to a class reunion on Eden-4, it took four months.”</p><p>Rhys fell silent again. <em> Looks like I have some policy changes to make around here, </em> he thought. </p><p>They landed on a platform and filed out. From there, Rhys’ escort led the way into a garage with a cargo elevator in the far end. “Up above is the old CEO’s office,” the same soldier explained. “Orders are to escort you there and wait for the Directors.”</p><p>Rhys shrugged. “No arguments here.” The group boarded and started the ascent. Rhys regarded each of the soldiers, motionless as golems. He cracked his neck left and right and rocked heel to toe. “So,” he tried on the only one to have spoken so far. “The strong right arm of Atlas, huh? Must make you proud, having that on your resume.”</p><p>“No greater joy than duty.”</p><p>Rhys gave him two thumbs up. “That’s what I like to hear, Captain…?” he led, expecting a name.</p><p>“Private,” he corrected. “Private Gonner Maleggies.”</p><p>“Heh. Noted.”</p><p>At the top, Rhys soaked in the grandiose chamber around him. The musty but once-proud office stretched out languidly towards a hallway flanked by giant, empty fish tanks. His stomach fluttered as he recalled his last time climbing up a trapdoor into a sanctum like this.</p><p>Outside the lofty windows, all of Meridian sat obscured by a sheen of dust. Rhys pressed his fingertips to the glass and swept downward, allowing the vibrance of the city to shine through those five thin streaks. He squinted, then pressed his entire palm to the glass to wipe away more of the dust. He basked in the view, just as he had the amethyst surface of Elpis in Jack’s office. <em> Wow. I used to dream about being here, </em>he remembered confiding in Jack’s hologram. </p><p>And Jack had expertly stoked the fires of ambition when Rhys had assumed that regal chair. <em> You look like somebody who could kill a whole bunch of people with a phone call and a little bit of bass in your voice. </em></p><p>This office, unlike Jack’s, currently lacked the essential desk and chair. Rhys added that to his mental to-do list. Red upholstery for the chair, he resolved—that was a no-brainer. He pondered what would look good for the desk. Mahogany? No, too Jakobs. Maybe gunmetal. Or titanium. He shrugged to himself. Plenty of time to make that call later.</p><p>He remembered the dust on his hand and brushed it off on his pant leg, briefly feeling the outline of the Atlas stock certificate in his pocket.</p><p><em> You gotta know what you want if you’re gonna make it, Kid. </em>The words whispered in his memory and slithered down his spine like a viper.</p><p>He slipped a hand into his pocket to feel for the folded up piece of paper that bought him this meeting. Thanks to a one-in-a-million chance of the Vault bringing him here, that paper was about to buy him even more than that.</p><p><em> I was supposed to find a worthy successor to the Hyperion throne </em> . Jack’s words continued to replay in his mind. <em> That successor, Rhys, is you. </em></p><p>He tightened his left fist to still his trembling fingers. </p><p>
  <em> What do you say, Kid? </em>
</p><p>“Yes.” He silently mouthed the word he had given Jack in reply. He smiled at the city beyond the glass. <em> Yeah. Let’s do it. </em></p><p>“Yes, what?” asked Private Gonner Maleggies. The question yanked him back to the present.</p><p>“N-nothing.” Rhys turned away from the window. “Just a little positive self-affirmation. You know--yes. As in, ‘Yes! Let’s get this road on the show!’” A weak chuckle.</p><p>Gonner shrugged. “Whatever gets you there. Just so you know, I think the Directors are on their way.”</p><p>Sure enough, the sound of footsteps echoed from somewhere beyond the empty glass tanks. Like an actor cued on stage, Rhys shuffled back to where a gunmetal-or-titanium desk should be. He wiped the dust from his pant leg, and checked his breath again.</p><p>Four distinguished figures filed in. Rhys recognized Wormworth, joined by two other men and one woman. All were over fifty and wore high-end suits. The darker skinned man wore shades. The woman looked like “just came from a hair appointment” was her default mode. The last man was short and stocky, with a goatee. They stopped side-by-side, several feet apart. They raised their watches, pressed a button in unison, and behind each of them a chair digistructed. The seats were faded leather, the legs pearl. They all sat. Rhys stood and faced them.</p><p>The woman nodded to the Atlas soldiers, who exited between those two empty fish tanks. Rhys suspected they didn’t go very far.</p><p>He’d heard some other Director names on his way here, though he had no idea which could be which. He started by greeting the familiar face among them. “Director Wormworth! It’s a pleasure. You’re taller than in the hologram.” He flashed that charming grin he’d perfected in his three years reporting to Henderson. “Who do we have joining us?”</p><p>“From the left, we have Directors Bennett Sampson, Liza Hazeltooth, and Jarvis Colton.” Wormworth waved a hand at each colleague in succession. “We at the Atlas Board welcome you to Promethea.”</p><p>Rhys mentally stamped their names by their faces, resolving to practice them in conversation. Before he could launch into his own introduction, Wormworth continued. </p><p>“Strongfork. That’s quite a name,” he said. “We took the liberty of running it by the ECHO-Net before this meeting. It seems, Rhys, you’re listed as one of thousands of Hyperion personnel killed in the Helios disaster.” He shifted in his seat. “I think I speak for all of us saying, we have several questions before we continue. For one, how does a dead Hyperion man walk out of a Vault, onto another planet, and declare himself rightful owner of Atlas?”</p><p>“Right, that—so glad you asked.” Rhys ran his fingers through his hair and gazed at the ceiling. He was uncertain which details about Helios might have gotten to Promethea, so he chose his words carefully. “First off, I got lucky on Helios. One of our Loaders was overdue for a reset, so he—” he cleared his throat “—<em> it </em> had reached self-awareness. When the station started falling, the nearest escape pod had a jammed hatch. The Loader opened it for me.” He threw up his hands in mock frustration. “If only <em> all </em>employees were as reliable as robots, right?”</p><p>Wormworth smiled his assent and nodded once.</p><p>“Helios was notorious for its sloppy management at the end,” said the woman. “But that worked to your advantage, it seems.”</p><p>Rhys played a quick word association game in his head. <em> Liza Hazeltooth. LH. Lady with Haircut. </em></p><p>“I thought so too, Director Hazeltooth,” he agreed. “On both counts. Once, a colleague of mine was even willing to throw away $10 million of the company’s money to buy a Vault Key, which turned out to be a fake. You can guess how pale in the face he made our supervisor.”</p><p>Hazeltooth shook her head, disgusted. “Exactly what I’m talking about. Just shameful.”</p><p>“Your colleague bought a fake Vault Key,” said the man in shades. (<em> Jarvis Colton, </em> Rhys recalled <em> . The one with the shades. Cool Colton.) </em> “But <em> you </em> got here in the Vault of the Traveler. Maybe you got lucky when Helios fell, but nobody’s <em> that </em>lucky. How did you find Gortys?”</p><p>Rhys blinked in surprise. “Whoa, you <em> are </em>well-informed, Director Colton. You know about the Gortys Project?”</p><p>“I was the one who lobbied to approve the Gortys Project.” Colton adjusted his shades. “I’d hoped when Handsome Jack bought the rights to Atlas, he would continue it with Hyperion funding.”</p><p><em> Do they realize Jack only bought Atlas to look at it on his trophy shelf and laugh? </em>Rhys thought. “Jack was, uh, a very busy man,” he said, noncommittally.</p><p>“He was.” Colton allowed. “He could have retired a wealthy man after the Eridium discovery, but instead he tried to civilize the savage world of its origin. And to those ends, he chose to pursue the Vault of the Warrior, for all the good it did him. I wonder, would you say he made the right call? Would Jack still be the dominant power on Pandora now, if he had trusted in the Gortys Project instead?” Colton leaned forward in his chair. “What’s inside the Vault of the Traveler, Mr. Strongfork?”</p><p>Rhys’ attention drifted to the mysterious object in his pocket, and he decided that’s exactly where it should stay until he knew what it was.</p><p>“Now, if I may read between the lines here, Director,” he laughed, “it sounds like what you’re really asking is <em> ‘Can the Vault of the Traveler bring </em> Atlas <em> back to dominant power?’ </em> And to answer that? Well, the Vault did bring me here from Pandora, to this meeting. Maybe it’s some kind of ‘destiny machine,’ leading its users where they’re meant to be in life.”</p><p>Colton didn’t react at first. Behind his shades, Rhys pictured him making a slow, deliberate blink.</p><p>Then he removed his shades, folding them into his pocket. He had one gray eye, and one bright orange. Rhys froze as the ECHO-Eye scoured him from head to toe. There was no way it wouldn’t catch what he was carrying. “Uh, I…” He concocted an explanation in his head.</p><p>Colton simply put his shades back on. “I never believed much in destiny. But it could be you’re right.” His smile was indecipherable.</p><p>Bennett Sampson spoke up next. His voice was an odd mix of posh and coarse. It belonged to someone who had smoked his lungs away through years of imported cigars. “If the Vault of the Traveler is a ‘destiny machine,’ as you put it, why would you say your destiny is here?”</p><p>
  <em> Sampson. The short, stocky one. Stocky Sampson. </em>
</p><p>“Thank you, Director Sampson—now we get down to it,” Rhys said. He unfolded the stock certificate for them to see “Handsome Jack let you all down. He bought the rights to your company for pennies. And from what Director Colton tells me, you hoped Atlas and Hyperion would be unstoppable together. Instead, Jack left you to rot in his junk drawer, with only enough means to recirculate your old products in blood sports here on your home world. Well, I say it’s time to make him regret it from beyond the grave. I give you my solemn oath, as your new CEO and re-founder, I will deliver on all of Jack’s broken promises and lead Atlas to new heights.”</p><p>The Atlas Board of Directors beamed in admiration and clapped. An Atlas soldier returned with an ECHO-Device displaying the prompt “PUSH IF AWESOME,” which Rhys naturally pushed as there was no word that described him better. His brand new gunmetal-<em> and- </em>titanium desk digistructed right on the spot, complete with “Universe’s Best CEO” mug by the red velvet chair. The soldier saluted as Rhys took his new seat and smiled, with teeth freshly sparkling.</p><p>At least, that’s how he envisioned it.</p><p>The Board’s reaction, in truth, was somewhat less enthusiastic. In fact, three of them looked like he’d just started oozing slime.</p><p>“You. Have. Some. <em> Nerve! </em>” Hazeltooth sputtered.</p><p>“Is that the <em> real </em>stock certificate?” Colton pushed his shades down on his nose to scan with his ECHO-Eye again. “That’s the real stock certificate.”</p><p>“And you just <em> stole </em>it from Jack?” Hazeltooth’s mouth gaped open. “Was this right after his death? Or did you wait until the entire station was rubble?”</p><p>“I suffered your familiar tone back in Lectra, in front of all my Exterminators.” Wormworth’s finger stabbed the air. “I gave you safe passage to Atlas HQ. And this is the thanks I get?”</p><p>Sampson had nothing to add. He judged his hands in his lap worthier of his attention than Rhys.</p><p>“Okay. Um. Let’s back up, where, uh, exactly did I lose you?” Rhys looked from director to director, confused. He lowered the stock certificate to his side. “Anybody can see Jack stole your company’s future from you. I’m proposing to help you take it back.”</p><p>“Handsome Jack,” Hazeltooth began with her nose raised, “was a man you’re privileged to meet once in your lifetime. A trailblazer. A visionary. A genius.”</p><p>Rhys’ throat went dry, and words failed him. In his mind he heard a manic burst of laughter, accompanied by a flash of blue.</p><p>“A month more, and Jack’s city of Opportunity would have flourished like Meridian did in Typhon DeLeon’s day,” Hazeltooth continued. “The Pandoran miscreants did the six galaxies a terrible disservice when they took Handsome Jack from us.”</p><p><em> Hell-o, what’s this? More of my fan club? After, oh, how long is it now? Ha! Don’t you get it yet, piss stain? I told you I was immortal, </em> Rhys imagined Jack gloating. <em> You can’t kill a legend. </em></p><p>“I don’t care for your accusation of ‘blood sports,’ either,” Wormworth huffed. “Extermination Day is a necessary community service to control our pest population. I cannot be blamed if it’s dangerous work, or if an exterminator occasionally disregards their own safety.”</p><p>
  <em> Look at you. The way you try to memorize their names—just too adorbs. I could have told them all their name was “Meatsack” now, and they’d have tattooed it on their freaking foreheads. </em>
</p><p>Rhys shook his head, as though it would banish those brain cells burdened by the memory of Handsome Jack. He found his voice and turned to Colton. “It was your Gortys Project that brought me here. I opened the Vault—”</p><p>Colton spread his hands. “And Jack opened <em> three </em> before he was done.”</p><p>Hazeltooth raised her wristwatch slowly, her finger closing in on a button whose function Rhys didn’t think he was going to like much. “Then you come here with his stolen rights, and claim to be not just his equal, but his <em> better </em>? Unthinkable.”</p><p>Rhys could scarcely believe this had turned so sour, so fast. Jack’s influence really was still everywhere. “Director Hazeltooth, before you do anything hasty, just let me—”</p><p>“Stop. You are no visionary, Mr. Strongfork. You are a vulture, and pecking at the remains of your betters will not make you one of them,” she hissed. “We’ve given you enough of our time. The Lance will show you out, then it would be wise of you to—”</p><p>“Oh, hold your bloody horses, Liza.” Director Sampson finally lifted his head. “Do you honestly still think Jack did all the things he said he did on his own?”</p><p>Rhys turned to him, surprised, a little hope restored. Even the specter of Jack had nothing to say.</p><p>“Well… of course not on <em> his own </em>,” she conceded. “Jack was a born leader. He had only to tell others they were special, and they would do anything for him to prove it. He knew how to inspire them.”</p><p>“So, what makes you so certain Mr. Strongfork here can’t do that?” Sampson asked, gesturing at Rhys. “He convinced a self-aware Loader to sacrifice itself for him. Alex, he walked through your little extermination game unarmed and asked you nicely to pick him up—a total stranger. Then remind me, what did you do? And for God’s sake, Jarvis, he’s <em> here </em>, isn’t he? That means he somehow assembled your Gortys robot and got past whatever monstrosity guarded the Vault.”</p><p>“Right?! Thank you!” Rhys reflexively fired a finger gun at Sampson. When he got no reaction, he chalked it up to the culture gap between Hyperion and Atlas and holstered his hand in his pocket.</p><p>“We still know nothing about him,” Hazeltooth said. “Are you suggesting we hand Atlas over to him just because he found a piece of paper and scratched his name over Jack’s?”</p><p>“No. I’m suggesting we mind where he came by that bit of paper: Pandora. Remember all the projects Atlas left there to rot? All that money sunk in a bleeding sandpit? All those wasted chances at this company—our company—having a future? What harm can there be in sending Mr. Strongfork to get them for us?”</p><p>“See? Director Sampson gets it,” Rhys added. “That’s exactly what I was leading up to. You want this company back in the big leagues again? You gotta take risks.”</p><p>“And what risk is there to us, really?” Sampson continued. “Say he goes back to Pandora and gets trampled by a rakk hive. We gain nothing, we lose nothing.”</p><p>Rhys gave a nervous laugh. “Heh. That’s just what you call an occupational hazard.”</p><p>“Or say he brings something we can use. I mean <em> really </em>use,” Sampson said. “Wouldn’t it be worth it to see Tediore take all those ‘At Least Not Atlas’ jokes and shove them?”</p><p>Colton’s lips pursed in consideration. “I <em> do </em> hate those jokes,” he admitted.</p><p>“Hyperion is still reeling. We might never get another chance like this.” Wormworth stroked his chin. “Maybe you’re right; what do we have to lose?”</p><p>Hazeltooth looked at the others and gave a sneer, but she knew she was outmatched. “Alright, Bennett. You want a vanity project? Fine, take it,” she said through clenched teeth. “But I will not tolerate squandering what few resources we have on your little gamble.” She glared at Rhys. “Do you understand me? We’ll see if you really are half the man Jack was. Everything you need for this venture, you are to come up with on your own. That means transportation off-world, your own crew to salvage the old Atlas facilities on Pandora—all of it.”</p><p>“Liza, you won’t be disappointed,” he said. Though, he predicted the only way that would be true was if he rode back from Pandora on Jack’s diamond horse, the heads of five Vault Monsters in tow, with enough new investors to fill a stadium.</p><p>“Then good luck to you,” said Sampson. “Suppose we’ll see if that bit of paper is still worth squat, won’t we?”</p><p>With that, Hazeltooth pushed the button on her watch. “Our meeting is over. Show Mr. Strongfork out,” she said. The Crimson Lance returned to acquiesce.</p><p>As he was escorted away, Rhys grappled inwardly with what he’d just agreed to. Another suicide mission on Pandora? More skin pizza parties? Near-death experiences on the regular?</p><p>And how was he supposed to get back there? The Vault was gone, and the Atlas Board wouldn’t give him a ship. And how was he supposed to salvage the old Atlas facilities, if they wouldn’t give him a crew?</p><p>He gave serious reconsideration to his “Vault of the Traveler as a Destiny Machine” theory.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm trying to keep my chapters shorter than they were in the original "Fiends to Fire" draft, so I couldn't really fit any of Sasha's POV in this chapter without it getting too long. The next chapter will be all Sasha.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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